John Wanamaker noted in the 1920s how difficult it was to reach potential customers using traditional advertising, "Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don't know which half."

The Internet, search engines, SEO, blogs, social media sites such as Linkedin, ProducersWEB, Insurance Campus, Quora, OnTopList, etc., have changed all of the marketing and advertising rules and standards. It is now possible to have your potential Clients knocking at your door.

While it takes time to learn and implement these new strategies, it does not entail the incredible costs related to traditional alternatives. Another major improvement is that the return on time and money is measurable.

These inbound marketing strategies level the playing field, allowing organizations of all sizes to reach out to wider markets. Small- to medium-sized companies can create a unique branded footprint in the insurance and benefits marketplace.

Potential buyers utilize search engines to find the plans, programs and services that meet their needs and price points. Client retention and persistency remains — as does the company's and advisors’ capacity to meet or exceed client expectations.

With the combination of reform, regulations, shrinking commissions and increased administrative costs these new inbound strategies present an opportunity to:

Shorten selling cycles

Reduce marketing costs

Better allocate advertising dollars

Increase revenues

The new inbound strategies have some simple guidelines:

Build trust first – Don't start by trying to sell.

Add value – Share your expertise and capacities.

Meet needs – Know your market and focus on it.

Make the buying process simple – Utilize technology.

The views expressed here are those of the author and not necessarily those of ProducersWEB.

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About the Author

I am dedicated to family, fitness, sports, and intellectual endeavors while enjoying my business and private life. My goal is assist in shifting the Insurance and Benefits Industries to an Inbound Marketing model.

My business focus is on developing Insurance/Benefits strategies to ass... More